Hayden Lake council hears opposition to Lakeview Drive proposal
Hayden Lake City Hall was a packed house Tuesday night as residents voiced their opposition to a proposal that would bring major changes to traffic flow on a portion of Lakeview Drive.
HAILEY HILL/Press
HAYDEN LAKE — Though not on the council’s agenda, several dozen residents attended Tuesday night’s council meeting to voice their opposition to proposed major changes to Lakeview Drive.
The proposal, which would limit travel between Miles Avenue and Bozanta Drive to one-way, northbound traffic, was first presented by residents a few months ago, Mayor Lee Zink said.
Zink said the proposal comes as the city has heard an increasing number of complaints about traffic volume and speed over the past two-and-a-half years.
Data collected from speed monitors along Lakeview Drive has shown that 3-7% of drivers “excessively speed,” meaning they are driving at speeds of 32 miles per hour or higher, Zink added.
“Our goal is to try to slow down traffic,” Zink said.
About two-thirds of those ticketed for speeding in 2024 were Hayden Lake residents, rather than people from neighboring cities, Zink added.
“In some ways we’re doing this to ourselves,” Zink said.
Resident Laurie Cox told the council that Lakeview Drive is a “public right of way,” meaning the road is not under the local government’s jurisdiction to make changes.
Cox also cited concerns about whether snowplows or emergency vehicles would be able to travel through the proposed one-way section, a concern that was echoed by several other residents.
“I’m not going to give up,” Cox said. “I’m going to fight this.”
Resident Suzie Wong said she was concerned the one-way portion of Lakeview Drive would act as a private road for the Hayden Lake Country Club, but Zink insisted the proposal has “nothing to do with the country club.”
“It’s a county road, and it should stay a county road,” Wong said.
Over 10 residents spoke during the public comment section of the meeting, and only one gave favorable feedback to the proposal.
Many attendees concurred that while they’re in opposition to the one-way proposal, something needs to be done about speeding and traffic volume in the community. One even suggested lowering the speed limit within city limits.
“The vast majority of people see that they’re speeding and slow down,” said resident Ben Johnson. “What you want depends on where you live.”
If the council decides to move forward with the proposal, a public hearing on the matter will be held in May or June.